Surprise, Surprise

Arab League criticizes allied airstrikes on Libya

"CAIRO (AP) — The head of the Arab League has criticized international strikes on Libya, saying they caused civilian deaths.

The Arab League's support for a no-fly zone last week helped overcome reluctance in the West for action in Libya. The U.N. authorized not only a no-fly zone but also "all necessary measures" to protect civilians.

Amr Moussa says the military operations have gone beyond what the Arab League backed.

Moussa has told reporters Sunday that "what happened differs from the no-fly zone objectives." He says "what we want is civilians' protection not shelling more civilians."

U.S. and European strikes overnight targeted mainly air defenses, the U.S. military said. Libya says 48 people were killed, including civilians."

So what exactly did the Arab League think they were doing when they endorsed western pummeling of Libyans? Did they think that inviting the death cult to use their expensive and murderous toys would somehow magically kill all the "bad" guys and protect/leave innocents alone, a la Hollywood? Giving the green light to psychopaths might seem a pretty stupid idea, but somehow I believe they knew in advance that empire and it's flunkies would commit genocide and decided that they'd shed crocodile tears afterward to make it look, to their peasant populations, that they actually give a shit.